Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow: A great stealth game gets even better...
ox
100% score
When Splinter Cell came out in 2002, many stealth action fans loved it and for good reason. It really made you feel like you were a spy, by being able to infiltrate places and shoot out any light you see. But there was a fair amount of problems with SC, such as it being too linear and short. The sequel, Pandora Tomorrow tries to fix these problems while also making a step forward for multiplayer gaming. PT's single player plays almost exactly like the original Splinter Cell; but there are some noteworthy additions. Whistling being one; where you can whistle to lure enemies near you. Gadgets like the spy camera and binoculars have also been carried over from the GC and PS2 versions of SC. Still, the level design of PT is very linear with few rooms giving you an opportunity to approach soldiers differently. The single player is short too, clocking in around 10 hours. Thankfully, there is multiplayer which makes PT more than just a mission pack. You play as either a Spy or a Mercenary in four player matches. The Spy is tasked with having to neutralize nodes, while Mercenaries try to stop them. Playing as a Spy is similar to the single player since the controls are essentially the same; but you can only stall Mercs for a few seconds with laser bullets. To compensate there is an array of gadgets given; such as chaff and smoke grenades to give you a chance to grab and kill a merc. The Mercs play from a FPS view and have a loose reticle; but that's to even up the match and give Spy's an extra chance to escape when seen. But Merc's also are given gadgets like wall mines and spy traps. Multiplayer is quite fun, but playing online you may experience lag with delays in windows coming up. Still, that problem can easily be overlooked; especially when noticing there isn't many online stealth games. Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow is the essential stealth game this year; with a multiplayer never seen before and a solid single player, this game must be played.
